COURt out

'STARTING POINT'

That would afford Dimitri Payet and Florian Thauvin even more freedom in the final third.

And Chelsea are sure to approve if it means Bakayoko avoids returning to Cobham for training with Maurizio Sarri’s more technically-inclined squad.

The 24-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2017 for £40million after leading Monaco to the Ligue 1 title and Champions League semi-finals.

Bakayoko was expected to fill in for Nemanja Matic following the Serb’s Manchester United move, but he did little to impress the Chelsea faithful and was subsequently shipped out when Sarri arrived in July this year.

Defender Marcos Alonso signs a new contract at Chelsea that will keep him at the club until 2023